The current negotiations for Global Compacts on the movement of people across international borders represent a milestone in the global governance of human migration. Until now, the rights and movement of people crossing international borders have been inadequately governed and incompletely protected by a fragmented patchwork of institutions and norms. In response, policy makers and activists are pursuing a global standard.

The Global Compacts on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and on Refugees hold the potential for addressing the causes of and improving responses to migration, displacement and relocation across borders as a result of sudden- and slow-onset natural disasters, environmental degradation, and the adverse effects of climate change. The compacts reference and, in the case of the migration compact, provide specific commitments to address the drivers of environmental mobility and to develop policies aimed at ensuring greater protection for those affected by these movements.

While many humanitarian issues need to be addressed with respect to international migrants and refugees, the cost of global remittances, which may support entire families in low and middle income countries, continues to be a topic of debate. According to the latest Knomad Migration & Development Brief, the global average cost of sending $200 was 7.1% in the first quarter of 2018 ($14.20 per payment).

When landslides destroy communities or sea levels rise how do governments move people out of harm’s way? “Planned relocations” is the term being used to describe the process of moving people in order to protect them from disasters or from the effects of environmental change.

Globally, an estimated 266 million people live and work outside their countries of origin (Source: Migration and Development Brief 29) to seek opportunities provided by economic globalization. About one-third of them are from Asia and the Pacific.

Asian migrant workers tend to be semi- or low-skilled. They usually migrate to countries such as the US, high-income OECD countries, the Middle East, or middle- or upper-income countries within the region.

This week, the fourth round of negotiations for the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) is taking place in New York. These negotiations will lead up to the intergovernmental conference to be held in December 2018 in Morocco. As a contribution to this process of negotiations, in mid-2017, KNOMAD organized an invitation-only Experts Meeting.

The World Bank’s latest Migration and Development Brief shows that officially recorded remittances to developing countries touched a new record—$466 billion in 2017, up 8.5 percent over 2016. The countries that saw the highest inflow in remittances were India with $69 billion, followed by China ($64 billion), the Philippines ($33 billion), Mexico ($31 billion), Nigeria ($22 billion), and Egypt ($20 billion).

The Global Compact on Migration (GCM) – a global agreement being negotiated by over 200 countries –can promote safe, orderly and regular migration, but first it will need to address a number of challenges to non-migrants. These include maintaining national identity in the face of large immigration flows, perceived (and actual) job competition impacting native workers in host countries, and the difficulties faced by family members of migrants who are left behind in the country of origin.

Back in March 2017, the European Union Commission announced a public consultation about a possible introduction of cash payment limitations (CPL). This follows the adoption of an action plan dated 2.2.2016 “against the financing of terrorism”. This action plan suggests that because “payments in cash are widely used in the financing of terrorist activities” we should explore “the relevance of potential upper limits to cash payments”.